Del Norte County, California
Del Norte County is the northwesternmost county in the U.S. state of California, located on the Pacific coast south of Oregon. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 27,507. The county seat is Crescent City, the county's only incorporated city. The county is bordered by the state of Oregon to the north. Del Norte County is noted for its redwood forests and the wild Smith River National Recreation Area. History Del Norte County was founded in 1857, from part of the territory of Klamath County. Klamath County itself ceased to exist in 1874. The name of the county signifies "the north" and the county derived its name from its geographical position in the extreme northwest corner of the state. Education Del Norte County is home to a satellite campus of College of the Redwoods, a two-year college based in Humboldt County. The Del Norte County Unified School District provides public education to the children of Del Norte County through the twelfth grade. The primary high school in Del Norte County is Del Norte High School, whose school mascot is the Warrior. Del Norte County has several private parochial schools and charter schools. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,185 km² (1,230 sq mi). 2,610 km² (1,008 sq mi) of it is land and 575 km² (222 sq mi) of it (18.05%) is water. Rivers * Klamath - one of the longest in California. * Smith - a crown jewel of the National Wild and Scenic River program. Cities and towns Crescent City, which includes the large northern area of Northcrest and Fort Dick, is the only incorporated city in Del Norte County. The towns of Del Norte include: Bertsch-Oceanview, Crescent City North, Gasquet, Hiouchi, Klamath, and Smith River Adjacent Counties * Humboldt County - south * Siskiyou County - east * Josephine County - northeast * Curry County - north Transportation Infrastructure Major Highways * U.S. Highway 101 * U.S. Highway 199 * California State Route 197 Public Transportation Local public transit is provided by Redwood Coast Transit, which provides access to Amtrak passenger train (via Amtrak bus) service and Greyhound bus service. Airports SkyWest conducts passenger flights to and from Jack McNamara Field Airport. The majority of flights connect to San Francisco International Airport through Arcata-Eureka Airport and vice-versa, although connections are also available to Sacramento and Portland. Harbor The Crescent City Harbor serves as a commercial fishing boat basin for Salmon, Shrimp, Tuna, Cod, and Dungeness Crab commercial fishing boats. The harbor is also home to multiple fishing and non-fishing related businesses and harbor governmental offices. The Crescent City Harbor also has several pleasure boat docks. Demographics As of the census² of 2000, there were 27,507 people, 9,170 households, and 6,290 families residing in the county. The population density was 11/km² (27/sq mi). There were 10,434 housing units at an average density of 4/km² (10/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 78.86% White, 4.30% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 2.32% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 3.92% from other races, and 4.08% from two or more races. 13.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.2% were of German, 11.3% English, 9.1% Irish and 7.4% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 91.6% spoke English and 6.2% Spanish as their first language. There were 9,170 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.08. In the county the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 123.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.3 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,642, and the median income for a family was $36,056. Males had a median income of $40,072 versus $22,212 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,573. About 16.40% of families and 20.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.70% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over. Politics Del Norte is a Republican-leaning county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976. Del Norte is part of California's 1st congressional district, which is held by Democrat Mike Thompson. In the State Assembly, Del Norte is part of the 1st district, which is held by Democrat Patty Berg. In the State Senate, Del Norte is part of the 4th district, which is held by Republican Sam Aanestad. External links *County of Del Norte website *Del Norte County Tourism and Travel website Category:Counties of California Category:Del Norte County, California